‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Interview: Tom Hiddleston Just Wants to Wear Pajamas

Director Taika Waititi has already shown us that Thor: Ragnarok won’t be your average Thor movie. Not only has the comedy been ramped up, but the filmmaker wanted to strip down the Thor franchise, essentially acting as if this were the first film in the series. But even so, it wouldn’t be a Thor movie without a certain mischievous character.

Tom Hiddleston plays Loki, the god of mischief and step-brother to the god of thunder, and at the end of Thor: The Dark World, the villain of The Avengers got everything he was hoping for. So what happens next? Tom Hiddleston revealed as much as he could about where Loki is heading next in Thor: Ragnarok in our interview with the actor on set last fall. During our chat, he talked about working with Cate Blanchett, being a rock star movie villain, and much more.

Below, read our full Thor Ragnarok Tom Hiddleston interview.

At the end of Thor: The Dark World, Loki got everything he wanted. How has it gone with him in the years since he became the secret king of Asgard?

Tom Hiddleston: You’ll have to wait and see. *laughter* That question is answered in this film. I’m so loath to tell you what it is, because I think it’s surprising and fun. But yeah, you’re right. He finished Dark World on the throne and, it’s taken a while for anyone to come home.

Are we finding that Loki has changed?

TH: Yes, but that’s in his nature. I think he’s a mercurial spirit, and the minute you try to define him, he changes shape. He is the shape shifter in the pantheon, although events in Ragnarok try and inspire to change him forever, I think. But they change for everyone. The goddess of death shows up, and the stakes are high for everybody, so Loki, perhaps more than ever, is challenged to define himself in the face of that threat.

*Before this interview, we had been watching a climactic scene with Thor, Hulk, Valkyrie and Loki confronting Hela on a bridge in Asgard. Cate Blanchett has been wearing a motion-capture suit for most of the filming process in this particular sequence*

You are the most popular Marvel villain. Did you give Cate Blanchett any pointers?

TH: Cate Blanchett needs no pointers from me. *laughter* This scene is huge fun to play, because it’s the first scene we’ve played together, so it was really enjoyable. I’m wondering how I can get my costume digitally created so I can wear pajamas, too. She was saying, “How come you’re wearing your cape, and I’m not wearing mine?” I think she’s going to blow people away, put simply. She is a naturally, incredibly powerful actor, and she’s brought all that power and wit to this part. It’s gonna be cool.

Chris Hemsworth says he feels like Thor doesn’t have to change Loki anymore. So how does Loki view Thor this time around?

TH: I can’t remember who said it – I’ve said this about Loki before – but the opposite of love is not hate but indifference. So the idea that Thor might be indifferent to Loki is troubling for him, because that’s a defining feature of who his character is. I don’t belong in the family; my brother doesn’t love me; I hate my brother. The idea that his brother’s like, “Yeah, whatever,” it’s an interesting development.

But the two of them, that’s what I kind of loved about Ragnarok when I first read it. The two of them are placed in such an extraordinary situation where everything is unfamiliar; that their familiarity, literally as family members, becomes important.

How was it having the tone change in the franchise with this movie?

TH: I think it’s fantastic. I think Chris is hilarious, and I’ve always known him as a hilarious man, even making the first film, when we first met. So I love that his comedy chops are being flexed and, I think it’s great for the tone; it’s great for the film.

We have the luxury of having established so much. Everybody knows Asgard; everybody knows the rules, sowe can play with archetypes and tropes and expectations in a really fun way, I think. But the god of mischief has always had fun so…

How are Loki and the Hulk relating to each other? Last we saw them they were on the best terms, but you guys are side by side here.

TH: Right. The way I see it is in The Avengers, Hulk and Loki never really had a conversation. *laughter* It was more of a physical meeting, anextended group hug, shall we say. *laughter* So it’s fun when the two of them re-meet. You’ll see. I don’t wanna spoil it.

We’ve heard that Loki has a realization that he can’t do everything himself. How much fun is it to play that other side of this character?

TH: I think Loki’s a character who has always tested the limits of his power and has always tested the boundaries placed upon him. He doesn’t just stick his finger in the electrical plug socket, he burns the house down. *laughter* I think he has to deal with the consequences of, “Oh shit, I started something here.” I can’t reveal what makes him rethink his perspective, but there is a big event that does that.

We saw the set photos of you and Chris Hemsworth in Brisbane doubling in New York along with Anthony Hopkings, doing a sort of Fisher King thing. Can you talk about what appears to be Loki’s decision not to kill his father?

TH: Loki’s feelings towards his family members are complex, to say the least. I always thought that, even in the first film before he finds out that he’s not really related to all these people, that he would’ve been an incredibly useful vicepresident, as it were. It’s just that at the moment of Thor’s ascension he finds out he doesn’t belong there at all. So I never conceived of Loki’s emotional connections to Odin or Thor as malevolent. He just wants to have a go on the throne, which he does. It’s such a good joke, all that New York stuff, that I don’t wanna spoil it.

We’ve heard you have the most costume changes out of anyone in this movie. Can you tell us why Loki demands so many different costumes?

TH: Nothing to do with me. *laughter* It’s something to do with what happens at the end of the first act, if the film is divisible into three. Thor and Loki find themselves in a new environment, and the first thing Loki decides he needs to do is get some new threads.. Um…

Is there like a Pretty Woman montage of him trying on different outfits?

TH: In my head there is. *laughter* In my head, Jeff Goldblum takes Loki out to Rodeo Drive and says, “Pick the finest fabric you can find. Let’s fashion you a suit. Runtime of two hours. People need to pee and have pizza.

What does Loki think of Hela and what she represents? He’s a god as well, but she’s the bad news god. What does he think of Hela?

TH: I think he and every other character completely underestimates her power. They underestimate the secret she has, which blindsides them all, the idea that she has been lying in wait all this time for the stage to be set for her return. She is invincible. She is all powerful. Everything about her is surprising to Loki and to Thor, as well.

You said today was the first time that you and Cate actually got to share…

TH: We actually shared another scene, but this is the first, two-hander we’ve had.

Can you talk about the dynamic between you two?

TH: Yeah, that’s kinda what this scene is about. It’s about them recognizing each other. Recognizing that we prefer anarchy to order. Recognizing that chaos is more fun, if a little exhausting. Recognizing the aesthetic value of green capes. *laughter* The inimitable elegance of a headdress. If you’re gonna be bad, you might as well be bad with style. But they are defined by a red line between them.